Savory, a little sweet, all sublime: Chicken with Olives and Apricots

Weeknight-quick braised chicken thighs with green olives and dried apricots is show offy enough for weekend dinners. Recipe below.

HAVING COME LATE TO EATING OLIVES, I feel like I’m always playing catch up, discovering something new. The newest-to-me find is Castelvetrano olives, from southwestern Sicily. These prized green olives are mild, buttery and not overly salty, with a nice meaty texture. In a word, sublime.

Castelvetrano olives star in this delicious chicken dish without taking over. The sweetness of the apricots provides a nice counterpoint. Together, they offer little pops of flavor in the subtly complex sauce.

Braised chicken thighs are one of our favorite things to cook. Chicken with Apricots and Olives is a weeknight-quick dish that’s also weekend dinnerworthy.

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Chicken with Apricots and Olives

Weeknight-quick braised chicken thighs with green olives and dried apricots is show offy enough for weekend dinners.

Course Main Course, Poultry

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, halved (or other green olives—see Kitchen Notes)
• 3/4 dried apricots, sliced
• 3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel (this will help them brown better) and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, deep, lidded skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken, reduce heat to medium and brown for 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Reduce heat to low and add onion, seasoning it with salt. Cook, stirring often to avoid burning or overly browning, about 10 minutes, stirring in garlic for the last 5 minutes. Add coriander and smoked paprika, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
• Add wine and raise heat to medium. Deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until wine is almost completely reduced, about 2 minutes.
• Add broth and lemon zest to pan. Return chicken to pan, skin side up, with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and cover the pan. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes, adding olives and apricots to the pan halfway through. Make sure the apricot pieces are submerged in liquid to plump and tenderize them.
• Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm. Add butter to pan and whisk to incorporate it into the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt Serve chicken with sauce spooned over and around it.

Kitchen Notes

Pick your green olives. Castelvetrano olives are delightfully subtle in this dish, but you can substitute others if you like. Honestly, Pearls Simply Olives green ripe pitted olives, which come in a can, are quite good. The olive flavor will be more pronounced, but that’s okay.